Won Buddhism

Won Buddhism is a form of Buddhism founded by the Korean Sot’aesan Pak Chungbin (1891-1943) in 1924 in response to the doctrinal and institutional challenges presented to Korean Buddhism by its Neo-Confucian critics and Christian missionaries. According to Pak Chungbin, because the Dharmakaya (Buddha Body of Truth) is the ineffable reality behind all things, it should be worshipped everywhere, not just in Buddhist images. Hence, the best symbol for this universality is a single circle (won).